Get ready for a day full of inspiration

The moment is here: you can now book your ticket for the 2016 edition of TEDxGhent Main Event!

In the background, we are preparing tirelessly to bring you the brightest ideas worth spreading.

Curious about the menu this year? Enjoy a sneak peak of the topics below.

We will hear about a painfully current topic with a twist – our speaker will shed a light on creative approaches how to fight extremism. Utopia, or not, we will see whether the unconditional basic income’s time has arrived.

Familiar with the notion of ecomodernism? Our stellar speaker will explain and put it in a different light. Addiction to video games, controversial? Hard to imagine that it won’t provoke strong thoughts among the audience. Your inner physicist can count on us, quantum technologies are in the spotlight as well.

Intense debate is on the horizon as the dilemmas of modern reproduction techniques will come on stage. A great TEDx event cannot miss the design and entertainment either, so a session about the merging of art and science/technology will feed our soul.

Hooked? It is just the start, much more to come. Stay tuned and join us for a celebration of ideas on June 18th!

Gaëlle Solal

My secret ingredient for classical musicians: stage presence

Gaëlle Solal is absolutely passionate about the classical guitar, ever since she was a child. She now travels the world presenting concerts, master classes and workshops, and serving as juror at international competitions. Gaëlle’s eclectic passions have led her to combine her commitment as a performer with teaching as well as dance and theater experiences. In her talk she will share her idea for reinventing classical musicians like her: stage presence. Her performance will make you “see” the music differently!

Gaëlle is a world-renowned classical guitar player, born in France and now based in Brussels.

Dries Seuntjens

Rethinking the water cycle

Belgium is a world leading country in recycling: only 3% of the produced waste ends up on the garbage belt. This results in a sustainable cyclic recovery of valuable products from waste. Compared with waste recycling, recycling of water is still far away from reality, creating an opportunity to rethink our water cycle. Dries Seuntjens, the 2nd place winner of the 2016 TEDxGhent PhD/post-doc Contest, aims to increase overall sustainability of the urban water cycle. He is a 3rd year PhD student in Bioscience Engineering at the Center of Microbial Ecology and Technology of Ghent University, where his research focusses on the development of energy self-sufficient wastewater treatment plants.

Martijn Schuijs

From Barn to Bedside – How Farm Dust protects from Allergies

Asthma is an ever increasing health problem affecting large parts of the Belgian population. But why are so many people allergic and is there anything we can do? Join Martijn Schuijs on a scientific journey into the world of allergies, the consequences of our super hygienic way of living and discover which role farm dust plays in his story.Martijn is the winner of our annual TEDxGhent PhD/post-doc Contest! He is a 5th year PhD student in Biomedical Sciences at Ghent University, the Inflammation Research Center and the Laboratory of Immuno-regulation and Mucosal Immunology.

Bjorn Van Keymeulen

How technology can optimize incontinence care?

Current incontinence care systems bring along many burdens for patients and care givers. Bjorn Van Keymeulen is working on a new system developed with state-of-the-art technology which guarantees a higher quality of incontinence care. This system optimizes incontinence care by providing more privacy and comfort to the patient and reducing the ecological footprint.Bjorn is the 3rd place winner of this year’s TEDxGhent PhD/post-doc Contest. In 2012 he started his PhD at the Centre for Microsystems and Technology where he works on the integration of electronics into textiles for which he holds several patents and/or patent applications.

Antonius van Rooij

Does video gaming ruin people’s lives?

League of Legends, World of Warcraft and Counter Strike are only three video games among hundreds but they all have one thing in common: once you get hooked it is hard to stop playing. But when does gaming behaviour become a serious problem? Does gaming „eat“ the soul of our children? In his talk Antonius van Rooij will explain the science behind video game addiction. Antonius van Rooij successfully defended his PhD on the same topic in 2011 and is currently employed as a senior researcher at the iMinds research group Media & ICT (MICT) at Ghent University. He is active in several Dutch and Flemish public health initiatives that aim to translate scientific information about the risks and benefits of gaming to the general public through websites, online self-tests, and streamed video.

Kristel Vereecken

A square meter of soul

Ghent spans over 1000 years of architecture, history and art. Avid traveller, entrepreneur and Ghent tour guide, Kristel Vereecken, has developed a strong sense for ‘soulful places’. Places that make you linger. Places you keep on going back to without knowing why. Powerful places which truly can transform you. In her talk she takes us on a tour to some of the most inspiring places in Ghent and reveals the power that lies within them.Kristel is the founder, owner and manager of Ghent-Authentic, a company that takes tour guiding to a new level. She is engaged by the European Commission as a ‘European Female Entrepreneurship Ambassador’ and has won the ‘De Gentse Ondernemer/Gentse starter 2012’ award.

Gernot Wieland

Depression in Animals

“Depression in Animals” deals with the construction of human identity determined by the exclusion of the other – namely the animal. Accompanied by projections, this talk examines the relationship between humans and animals and its history of control and power. Gernot Wieland tries to grip his audience with a mixture of irony and disillusionment, generating stories which balance between truth and fiction, tragicomical incidents and a sense of uncanny.

Gernot Wieland is an Austrian artist who lives and works in Berlin. His work is a constant research on psychological conditions in society and human beings.

Yameng Cao

The magical world of quantum physics

Exactly 100 years ago, Albert Einstein laid down the foundations of quantum mechanics. After a century of curiosity, the field is revolutionised with a new understanding that information can be encoded into quantum particles. Particles – which can exist in many places at once, travel through walls and behave as a whole even when separated – enable us to build extremely powerful computers and make unconditional information security possible. No organisation, group or individual has immunity from hackers, but, by using the laws of quantum physics, we can secure our online communication, transactions and activities against all attempts to steal our personal data and most sensitive secrets, with guaranteed future proof security.

Yameng Cao will be our guide through the magical world of quantum physics. He is a post-doctoral fellow at Lancaster University and obtained his PhD on Quantum Computing.

Erin Marie Saltman

Challenging Terrorism and Extremism with Innovation and Creativity

Violent extremist groups and terrorist organisations destabilise civil society and cause devastation globally. Current trends have led many people to not just fear these global networks, but also to question why individuals join groups such as ISIS. Erin Marie Saltman will discuss the push and pull factors which draw people into these organisations, and talk about new innovative ways of preventing and countering processes of radicalisation.Erin holds a PhD in Political Science and is a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a London based think tank, pioneering operational responses to the rising challenges of violent extremism. Among many projects, she manages the Women and Extremism Program and the Youth Civil Activism Network.

Kathryn Sheridan

Bioplastic Fantastic: Why we don’t need oil for plastics

It is time to move away from fossil fuels – not only for transport and energy but also for materials like plastics and chemicals. In a post-petroleum world, we will leave oil in the ground and make everyday products from plants instead of oil. This is not wishful thinking as plant-based plastics and chemicals are already available today. Kathryn Sheridan will explain the state of the industry, the latest innovations and what brands and consumers can do to accelerate the Bio Revolution! Kathryn is an ethical entrepreneur who lives and breathes the Bio Revolution. She is CEO and Founder of the bioeconomy communications agency Sustainability Consult, Ambassador for the responsible business network “1% for the Planet”, Natuurpunt volunteer and sponsor and lover of Flanders.

Martin Stephens

Movies, marriage and meditation

Did you ever wonder what happens to well-known child actors after they quit the business? Martin Stephens made his first film at the age of four. After starring in the iconic ‘Village of the Damned’ and ‘The Innocents’ as well as many other movies in the 1950s and 60s, he put an end to his acting career at the age of sixteen and started studying architecture at university. In 1979 he married and for 35 years, both he and his wife have practised Vipassana Meditation. This meditation is a scientific technique that trains the mind to deal with the challenges of life in a balanced way and root out deep addictions. Martin Stephens talks about his career, the wonderful experiences as well as the tough reality during his life as an actor. He moves on through his life after fame, becoming an architect and meditation teacher.

Vanessa Potter

The Art of your Mind

“Let me introduce myself, I am Patient H69.” When Vanessa Potter woke up one morning in 2012 her life was never to be the same again. A life changing illness prompted her to turn scientific sleuth in order to unravel what had happened inside her own brain. Vanessa’s talk is a compelling account of how one patient’s traumatic experience led to a science-art collaboration which hoped to show how the power of the brain can influence our state of mind. Before reinventing herself as Patient H69, Vanessa spent 16 years as an award winning broadcast producer in the London advertising industry. In spring 2017 her first book “Patient H69: The Story of my Second Sight” will be published by Bloomsbury.

Martine-Nicole Rojina

Why waves make sense to me

Martine-Nicole Rojina describes herself as a “wave explorer” – she started her discoveries as a kid, being fascinated by waves of any kind and relying on three main drivers of her life: intuition, passion and curiosity. During her talk, she will take us on a multi-dimensional, audiovisual journey and invites us to commonly travel beyond reality.As music producer and multi-instrumentalist, Martine-Nicole has been the front women of MARSMOBIL and is engaged in transdisciplinary art & science projects. Currently she transforms Arne Quinze’s art installation “Rock Strangers” in Oostende into a music instrument and multi-sensual installation. As director of MPATHY STUDIO, she builds bridges between marketing, art, science and engineering.

Veerle Provoost

The name of the father?

In her talk “The name of the father?”, Veerle Provoost will talk about families of children conceived with donor sperm. She will explain how we can gain valuable insights from their views about what a family really is. These alternative families teach us what matters most in the decisions we all make for our children, whether or not they are genetically related to us.Veerle’s main research interest is empirical bioethics in the field of reproductive medicine. She is a professor at Ghent University and coordinates a team of researchers who work on a study about genetic and social parenthood in the context of donor conception.

Kristof De Wulf

Finding your edge at the edges

The future ain’t what it used to be. In today’s world of acceleration, automation and accessibility, we are expected to be ’relieved’ from working, learning and owning. But if we take away the very things that provide us with a sense of accomplishment and purpose in life, what is left for us humans? The more human-like machines take over our functions, the more we are left with a feeling of emptiness, says Kristof De Wulf. In his talk, he shares his thoughts on how we can overcome this feeling by going to the edges of our normal brain functioning. Kristof is co-founder and CEO of InSites Consulting, currently the world’s 3rd most innovative marketing research agency. He has won several awards and is a proud member of Switch & Shift’s League of Extraordinary Thinkers.

Philippe Van Parijs

The instrument of freedom

“The money that one possesses is the instrument of freedom, that which one strives to obtain is the instrument of slavery.” Well said, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. But has the time now finally come for the implementation of an unconditional basic income? This is the question that Philippe Van Parijs will try to answer in his talk.Philippe holds doctorates in philosophy and social sciences, and is currently a professor at the University of Louvain. He is involved in various initiatives that aim to change the current social and political situation and published many books. In 1986 he convened the conference that saw the creation of BIEN, then the Basic Income European Network and now the Basic Income Earth Network.

Jean Paul Van Bendegem

Really, mathematics is everywhere

Our daily world is nothing but a collection of patterns and structures that can be found everywhere: in human habits, animal behaviour and nature. Mathematics is the science of patterns and structures. Thus, the science of everyday life must be mathematics! This bold statement by Jean Paul Van Bendegem will be supported by a number of examples in his talk, as the proof of the (structured) pudding remains in the (patterns of the) eating. Jean Paul is a professor at the Free University of Brussels where he teaches courses in logic and philosophy of science. As a part of his research, he studies mathematical practice and aims to understand what it is mathematicians do when they do mathematics. Apart from his academic work he also spreads his ideas using lectures, radio and TV appearances and column-writing.

Christophe Fauconnier

The 3 most unlikely mentors for humanizing business

As a white South African growing up under the Apartheid regime, Christophe Fauconnier never stopped challenging narrow mindedness. It got him into trouble on several occasions and at the age of 18, after a State of emergency was declared, he left the country to seek wisdom elsewhere. His personal mission became ‘liberating’ himself and others from the institutional nonsense and self-imposed limitations that stop us from creating more value from true human interactions. This mission was transformed into an (ad)venture with fellow travellers, and led to the creation of Innate Motion: bringing human sense to business in a world that applies too much business sense to humans. In his talk you will discover what magicians, activists and game designers can teach us about turning ventures into meaningful brands to reach scale.

Joyashree Roy

Human beings hold the key to a solution

The fire that burns a hand also cooks our food. How can we say that fire is either good or bad? We can realize our true potential by forgetting our ignorance and pushing the frontiers of accumulated knowledge with the entire human race. Joyashree Roy states that this human behaviour is the key to a universal modern life that avoids dangerous interference with nature. She is a professor of Economics at Jadavpur University in India. Among others, she was coordinating lead author in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007 (IPCC-2007). This panel was co-sharer of the Nobel Peace Prize for its effort to build up and disseminate greater knowledge to help finding solutions to man-made climate change. In her talk Joyashree will address humanity’s progress and developmental challenges.

More speakers to be announced soon!

9:15 – 10:00

Arrival at De Bijloke

10:00 – 12:00

Kristel Vereecken

Veerle Provoost

Antonius van Rooij

Vanessa Potter

Kristof De Wulf

Yameng Cao

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch

13:00 – 14:45

Martine-Nicole Rojina

Joyashree Roy

Philippe Van Parijs

Gernot Wieland

Dries Seuntjens

Martin Stephens

Christophe Fauconnier

14:45 – 17:00

Break with spices, workshops and official TED videos

As you can see, we re-arranged the schedule, such there will be no live speakers during the football game #goBelgium

17:00 – 18:30

Erin Marie Saltman

Martijn Schuijs

Kathryn Sheridan

Gaëlle Solal

Bjorn Van Keymeulen

Jean Paul Van Bendegem

18:30 – 19:30

Reception

Join us for both the morning session and afternoon sessions. We welcome you in the morning and load you up with inspiration immediately. Our speakers will guide you through known and unknown topics and leave you with food for thought. So, during lunchtime we’ll provide you with a healthy lunch as food for your stomach. In the afternoon, we have 2 more sessions, only interrupted by a small coffee break.

Insider pass

An Insider pass is an extra way to show your support for TEDxGhent and our mission.

You’ll get a special behind-the-scenes look and are invited to our networking reception.

Help needed?

Should you need an invoice for your tickets, please do not use the regular ticketing system, but send an email to tickets@tedxghent.be.

For any further questions regarding the tickets for TEDxGhent Main Event 2016, please contact us at tickets@tedxghent.be.

We’re very happy to host the 6th edition of TEDxGhent in the beautiful Bijloke concert hall.

Please enter De Bijloke through the STAM entrance at the Godshuizenlaan (read here how to get there). The road to TEDxGhent will be clearly marked.